Forest Gate pupils promote importance of diversity at event
Azhar Academy Girls School pupil Esha Kamran opening the diversity conference with speakers Police Supt Raj Kohli, former sheriff of Nottingham Dr Shaukat Khan and Cllr Rev Ann Easter - Credit: Archant
Four pupils from Azhar Academy Girls School gave a lesson of their own when they held a special school assembly about diversity.
Azhar Academy Girls School pupil Esha Kamran opening the diversity conference with speakers Police Supt Raj Kohli, former sheriff of Nottingham Dr Shaukat Khan and Cllr Rev Ann Easter - Credit: Archant
Year 10 pupils Esha Kamran, 14, Sanitha Ishrat, 15, Aaliyah Natha, 14 and Faheemah Ali, 14, talked about the importance of diversity in politics, education and society at the Forest Gate school event.
They organised three prominent community speakers and prepared their own speeches for Years 7, 8 and 11 pupils for the GCSE citizenship project held last Thursday.
“Diversity is very important to our society,” Esha explained. “Without diversity we wouldn’t be economically stable.”
Police Supt Raj Kohli, the first former Muslim Sherriff of Nottingham Dr Shaukat Khan and Cllr Rev Ann Easter all talked about their experiences.
“I liked how Ann outlined her rise to her current positions,” said Esha, adding all three were “fabulous”.
“Mr Kohli began with a series of questions asking us what we thought he liked to watch and where he came from,” the Forest Gate pupil said.
Most Read
- 1 School which has nine-hour days praised as 'outstanding'
- 2 Men jailed after violent beating with steering wheel lock caught on dashcam
- 3 Stratford roof-terrace restaurant destroyed by late-night fire
- 4 Remembering speedway at West Ham Stadium 50 years on
- 5 Homes under the Planner: Applications lodged and approved in Newham
- 6 Girl, 17, held on suspicion of terrorism offences after east London arrest
- 7 Moyes gives warning after West Ham miss out on Europa League
- 8 The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee flypast: Where, and when, the planes will fly over north and east London
- 9 Man charged with fatal stabbing of woman in Custom House
- 10 Major tube strike to follow Queen's Platinum Jubilee long weekend
“Our school made assumptions and they were not true.”
She added an important life lesson was for pupils to learn how to take control of their destinies.
“If you’re from a different race or culture, people can make assumptions about you,” she said. “You have to show through your actions that you are different.”
Although Esha admitted the event organisation had been hard at times the group “hope to do it again” soon.
“A lot of students said this is what we should be doing,” she said.
For now, the group has named itself Diversity Panda because “pandas are recognised as being diverse animals being black, white and Asian”.
